The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-01-14
AMERICAN sWORKMEN
BEING CROWDED OUT OF, SHOPS
And Factories by Foreigners -lteport Of
I Commissioner Of Labor Peck, of New
York The Apprentice System Of This
Country - General Labor News.

ALBANY, N. Y, Jan. 13.-Tho fourtl
annual report Of the Bureau Of statlHtlc
Of Labor was submitted to the Legislature
last evening and will make q volume o
900 or more pages. In his Introductory
remarks Commissioner Peck says: Tht
year 1886 has witnessed u moro profount
and far more extended sgItation among
the members Of organized labor than any
previous year in the history OF our coun
try, and while such agitation in our own
State has not been characterized by the
wholly unwarranted and criminal OK.
cesses that q. startled with horror
the, populace Of several Of the Western
cities, 1t has nevertheless been earnest
and pronounced. With raro exceptions
organized labor has continued in this
State, with creator success and vigor than
ever before, to agitate, to strike and to
boycott during the past year, and 1886
will be remembered as one OF the greatest
Importance in the bate waged between
capital and labor, the signal failures and
success Of which will not be lost or fail 10
serve as lessons Of value to the student OF
social and economi, questions. G,E
APPRENTICESHIP QUESTION. <
The subject Of apprenticeship is treated
at great length and in a most exhaustive
manner. Among other things the Com
missioner says, in discussing the ques-
ton: "As very prominent feature Of thb
labor question, it has been found expe-
dent and necessary to look into'our ap.
premiership systematic, means at hand
OF renewing and perpetuating our labor
supply. The broad resul! Is that we arr
largely dependent upon foreign skilled
labor. Our supply OF native mechanics ia
daily augmented by the skilled labor OF
Europe, and whilo this foreign element Is
not equal to the skilled labor which Is re-
tanned In Europe, It is in the main vastly
superior to that produced in our own
country. Whether unrestricted immigra-
ton be or be not a national blessing may
be disputed, but visit 10 the workshops
Of the State will demonstrate the truthful.
ness OF the statement that the large ma.
jorily OF our tradesmen and mechanics
are foreigners. Indeed, in many trade
and industrial establishments there ia not
single American at work. Nearly ali
positions Of trust and responsibility In the
mechanical departments are in the hands
Of foreign.born workers, and most OF the
boys and young men learning trades arc
either foreign-born or the sons Of foreign.
born workers. And the opinion is now
very generally expressed and accepted
that most of the labor troubles of tho
last few years have been precipitated not
by whole trades, but by sections OF them,
and that theee sections we're largely con-
trolled by foreigners or by, natives who
had from association imbibed foreign ideas
on the labor question"
The Commissioner then discusses the
American objections to spprenticing boys
and the consequent failure Of American
labor to prevent such state OF affairs as
is mentioned above. He argues in favor
Of manual training as means Of keeping
up the supply OF trained labor and pre-.
venting the coming man from becoming
the slave of the machine. z :. ~ .,,4..I J.
LESS HOURS OF LABoR. ~
: The conclusions at which the Commits
sioner arrives in regard to "shorter hours
Of labor" are thus summed up: "As pre-
dicted in the last report Of this Bureau, "a
very general movement was made on the
first day Of May last looking to theire-
duction OF the hours OF labor from ten to
eight per day. The organizations Of New
York and Brooklyn seemed to have acted
more in concert than any. Of the other
cities in the State, and were by far more
successful, having won q msjority OF the
cases where demands were made, It is
true that while a large percentage Of ths
strikers asked for a.reduotion OF two hours
a day, very many Of the organizations did
80 with view Of compromising on nine
hours as days work." I"
He next gives brief histories Of the lead.
ing strikes in the States during the year,
notably those in the Troy laundries, the
sugar refneries and on the street railroads.
The losses by these different strikes, boy.
colts, etc., he is unable to give total, but
5S hrms alone report an aggregate OF $S,-
0OO, 600. On the other hand the losses of
wages to striking employees are represented
by the sum Of s2.S5S,l9l. This, amount
carries the conviction that labor deserves
to succeed in cause for which it is will.
ing TO make such sacriHces. ,i-
When the question Of strikes and kin
dred labor troubles is analyzed in calm
and dispassionate spirit, 1t will bo dis.
covered that. there is great deal OF error
in the public mind regarding it. EN-.
ployers, as rule, assert that striking is
not, under any circumstances,ij ,ijuBti6able,
contending that wages would ultimately
and inevitably increase, without them.
Indeed, they manifest desire to ignore
the subject altogether, ard only
give it attention when they are COM
PEELED. From the trade unionists' stand
point, however, there is ample justiaca.
ton for this weapon, though they are re.
luctant to use it, and as the organizations
grow older they only resort to it when
they have been ignored and compelled to
use 1t in seli.deiense. m Tf;EFi -lu
I Tho closing portion Of the report Is de.
voted to consideration Of. the Saturday
half.holidsy movement, the success at
tending the agitation Of the subJect, and
tho benefits derived from it. wt,i :
PRODUCTION OF PIG IRON, ~